The latest news and information regarding St. Louis car accidents. Car accident attorney Christopher Hoffmann provides useful tips on what to do if you are involved a Missouri auto accident and how you can work to prevent such accidents from happening.

08/31/2015

Road Rash Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents

There is a lot of focus on the severity of an injury that is caused by a motorcycle accident. Head trauma, spinal cord damage and broken bones are indeed common, and can be life threatening. Another, less severe injury, actually occurs in just about every motorcycle accident. Most motorcycle accidents end with the driver and his passenger on the ground - either from being ejected off of the vehicle or when the bike falls over. This contact with the pavement can cause an injury to the skin called road rash. Not always just a scrape, road rash can be severe and require medical attention. Call a Missouri motorcycle accident attorney if you have recently been treated for road rash and find out if you deserve compensation for your damages.

The lack of any type of safety restraint, such as a seatbelt, makes motorcyclists susceptible to hitting the ground in an accident. Any unprotected skin that is scraped along the pavement will be wounded by the sand and gravel. In severe cases the wound is so deep that muscle and even bone are exposed. Treatment can be difficult and complications include nerve damage and infection.

A road rash injury is categorized in the same way as burn injuries. A first degree road rash is usually no more than a mild irritation to the skin that will most likely heal by itself. Second degree road rash causes a break in the first layer of skin. While not considered overtly serious, there is a risk of infection if not treated with an antibiotic ointment. Any number of bacteria could have entered the skin from the road pavement. Third degree road rash is the most severe and will generally require extensive medical treatments. The skin is almost completely gone and will need to be treated with painful skin grafting. This type of injury is seen most often when the driver is thrown from the vehicle at such a high force that his body slides across the pavement before coming to a stop.

Not only is treating road rash painful, it can also be expensive. Plus there will likely be some scarring left after a third degree road rash has healed. A motorcycle accident attorney will present evidence of all of the medical procedures you had undergone as well as the scars when presenting your case for compensation. Not only will the monetary damages be considered, but also your permanent disfigurement. This was compelling evidence for a Missouri jury who awarded a motorcycle accident victim $1.25 million after seeing before and after pictures of the skin that had been grafted due to a third degree road rash injury.

When reckless or careless behavior causes an accident, no injury, no matter how small, should be overlooked when presenting your case. Even a mild case of road rash is painful. When speaking with your Missouri motorcycle accident attorney about the accident and the extent of your injuries, be sure that you also include the road rash. While it may pale in comparison to your other injuries, you do deserve to be compensated for it.

Call (314) 361-4242 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Missouri.